Kaykobad
Encyclopedia
Kaykobad (also spelt Kaikobad) or Mohakobi Kaykobad (Kaykobad the great poet) was the pen name of the poet Kazem Ali Quereshi.
epic poet and writer. He was born in 1857 in the village of Agla in the Upazila of Nawabganj
, in the district of Dhaka
, in what is now Bangladesh
. He was the son of Shahamatullah Al Qureshi, a lawyer at the Dhaka
District Judge Court.
Kaikobad studied at Pogose School and Saint Gregory School in Dhaka
. He then went to Dhaka Madrasah where he studied up to the Entrance Examination. However, he did not sit for the examinations, returning instead to his native village to take up the job of postmaster, where he worked until his retirement. In 1932, he presided over the main session of the Bangiya Muslim Sahitya Sammelan in Kolkata
.
Kaikobad's other works include Kusumakanan (1873), Ashrumala (1895), Shivamandir (1922), Amiyadhara (1923), Shmashanabhasma (1924) and Maharram Sharif (1932). His Premer Phul (1970), Premer Vani (1970), Prem Parijat (1970), Mandakini Dhara (1971) and Gauchh Paker Premer Kunja (1979) were published posthumously. The Bangla Academy
published his complete works as Kaikobad Rachanabali (Writings of Kaikobad) in three volumes (1994-95).
Kaikobad's literary inspiration derived from his desire to make the backward Muslims aware of their rich tradition and heritage and thereby help restore their glory. However, he also wrote on religious issues of both Hindus and Muslims. For his literary achievements, the Nikhil Bharat Sahitya Sangha awarded him the titles of 'Kavyabhusan', 'Vidyabhusan' and 'Sahityaratna'. He died on 21 July 1951 and was buried at the Azimpur Graveyard in Dhaka.
Background
Kaikobad (1857-1951) was a BengaliBengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
epic poet and writer. He was born in 1857 in the village of Agla in the Upazila of Nawabganj
Nawabganj Upazila, Dhaka
Nawabganj is an Upazila of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.-Geography:Nawabganj is located at . It has 47411 units of house hold and total area 244.81 km².-Demographics:...
, in the district of Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, in what is now Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He was the son of Shahamatullah Al Qureshi, a lawyer at the Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
District Judge Court.
Kaikobad studied at Pogose School and Saint Gregory School in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. He then went to Dhaka Madrasah where he studied up to the Entrance Examination. However, he did not sit for the examinations, returning instead to his native village to take up the job of postmaster, where he worked until his retirement. In 1932, he presided over the main session of the Bangiya Muslim Sahitya Sammelan in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Works
Kaikobad revealed his poetic genius early. His Birahabilap was published in 1870, when he was about thirteen. Kaikobad was influenced by the epics written by hemchandra banerjee and nabinchandra sen and, in 1904, published Mahashmashan (The Great Crematorium), based on the Third Panipat War. The epic, which shows the destructive nature of war in both victory and defeat, is considered his masterpiece.Kaikobad's other works include Kusumakanan (1873), Ashrumala (1895), Shivamandir (1922), Amiyadhara (1923), Shmashanabhasma (1924) and Maharram Sharif (1932). His Premer Phul (1970), Premer Vani (1970), Prem Parijat (1970), Mandakini Dhara (1971) and Gauchh Paker Premer Kunja (1979) were published posthumously. The Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy
Bangla Academy , established on 3 December 1955, is the national academy for promoting Bangla language in Bangladesh. The main office of the organization is located at the Burdwan House, once a part of the campus of the University of Dhaka, beside Suhrawardy Udyan.-History:The importance of...
published his complete works as Kaikobad Rachanabali (Writings of Kaikobad) in three volumes (1994-95).
Kaikobad's literary inspiration derived from his desire to make the backward Muslims aware of their rich tradition and heritage and thereby help restore their glory. However, he also wrote on religious issues of both Hindus and Muslims. For his literary achievements, the Nikhil Bharat Sahitya Sangha awarded him the titles of 'Kavyabhusan', 'Vidyabhusan' and 'Sahityaratna'. He died on 21 July 1951 and was buried at the Azimpur Graveyard in Dhaka.
Source
- Dakhil Bangla Sahitya